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The Art of Slowing Down

Carroll Macey



This time of year often brings moments of reflection, but this Christmas has felt different for me—a season of both loss and gratitude.

 

In the space of just a few weeks, I lost a family member, two days before Christmas we almost lost our dog, Harley, and I found myself navigating the worry of a family member in hospital. It’s been a time of heartbreak, but also one of deep appreciation. I’m grateful that my brother is slowly recovering, that my Uncle gave me pause to reflect on memories long forgotten, and that Harley, just days ago on the brink, is now back to his usual self—trotting alongside me on this slow walk along the canal.


And it is a slow walk. Usually, I’d be marching ahead, fitting a walk in between one thing or another, convincing myself that I’m being “mindfully present” but really I was just rushing through life. Today, I’m walking at Harley’s pace, noticing the world around me, and realising that life is asking me to slow down—not just physically, but mentally and to emotionally and spiritually connect and notice.


It’s a lesson I’ve heard before. Friends, mentors, even life itself has whispered it in countless ways. But I’m not great at doing what I’m told! And yet, this year has been relentless in its reminders. For 6 months I have been dealing with dizziness, which a good friend told me was “a loss of balance due to busy-ness”  Loss, grief, and that dizziness have slowed me down over the past week, and in that slowing, I’ve discovered something I’ve long ignored—the richness of being present.


Slowing down, I’ve realised, doesn’t mean stopping. It means being in touch—with the world, with the people I love, with beauty, wisdom, and myself. It’s about being fully alive, embracing all of life’s emotions, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s about not running away from the pain by doing more, but the power and strength is in turning towards it, sitting with it and doing being.


As 2025 approaches, I’m carrying this lesson forward. I’m choosing to slow down—not out of defeat or obligation, but as an act of living. To savour the moments, to honour the relationships and the beauty around me, and to connect with what truly matters.


So here’s to slowing down—not as a retreat, but as a way to truly move forward. To help you can join me on a 30 day Challenge as I Rethink Leadership for myself and for others.




What’s one lesson you’re carrying into 2025?

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